To:HIS MOTHER AND HIS BROTHER-IN-LAW

Published:First published in 1929 in the journalProletarskaya RevolyutsiyaNo. 4.

      Sent from Shushenskoye to Moscow.

      Printed from 
 the original.Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      Progress Publishers,1977,

      Moscow,Volume 37,

      pages143-145.Translated:The Late George H. HannaTranscription\Markup:D. MorosPublic Domain:Lenin Internet Archive.You may freely copy, distribute,
	display and perform this work, as well as make derivative and
	commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
	Archive” as your source.

January 4, 1898

Ihave received, Mother dearest, your letter of December
15. One mail delivery was missed this week (January 1),
so I do not know the outcome of Anyuta’s
efforts.[4]It is
probable, however, that the outcome is favourable because
if the case has already gone to St. Petersburg it means that
it is a petty one and there is no reason for any great
delay.[1]

Youneed have no fears about my big coat. With my
winter suit (which we all brought with us from St.
Petersburg) it is quite enougheven for travelling(and I very rarely
have to travel). For walking it is too warm and I wear a
quilted jacket—there have been a couple of cold days
(yesterday and the day before) but they are the exception.
Altogether, the winter here is exceptionally warm. Nor is
there any need to be afraid of my going shooting; there is
no danger. Now, by the way, there will be an end to all
shooting, probably until spring.... (The money has arrived,
the first and the second lots, both for the same sum.)

Itis 55 versts from Shusha to Minusinsk, in winter there
is a shorter road—50 versts.

Glebleft here the day before yesterday, after a stay of
ten days. There was a real holiday this year in Shu-shu-shu
and the ten days passed unnoticed. Gleb liked the place
and said that it is much better than Tesinskoye (I said the
same thing about Tes! I made fun of Gleb by saying that
anywhere is better than where we are), that there is forest
near here (in which it is good to walk in winter) and an
excellent view of the distant Sayan Mountains. He wasenthusiastic about the Sayans, especially on a clear day when
the sun is on them. Gleb, by the way, has become very fond
of singing, so my silent rooms grew merry during his stay
and fell quiet again after he left. But he has no music and
no songs. I think we had a lot of that rubbish (from the
times when we also used to “bawl”). If nobody needs them
any longer it would be a good idea to send them to him;
he would be very glad. Basil is the musician (on the guitar)
and would rearrange them for him. Gleb’s health improved
somewhat during his stay with me due to the regular life
and plenty of walking; he was much livelier when he left.

Ithink I have already written that Nadezhda
Konstantinovna intended asking to be sent here (she was sentenced
to three years in the northern gubernias). If that plan is
carried out it will afford a good opportunity for books,
music and everything.

Kisses,Yours,V.U.

January 4, 1898

Ihave received your letter of December 16 in which two
interesting announcements with theses were enclosed. I must
admit that the prohibition of the lectures by
Tugan-Baranovsky and Struve did not very greatly surprise me since
the letter’s article on the same subject was cut out and the
theses were perfectly clear. I did not understand, however,whichminister banned the lectures. But, of course, it does
not take the St. Petersburg government departments long
to get in touch with each
other[5]....

Iwas very surprised to learn that the Chicagoan is in
St. Petersburg. The last time I heard of him it was said
(or rather, written) that he was somewhere in the
Caucasus. So he has a job now. He does not answer my letter
and I suppose I shall have to stop expecting him to; he is
probably very busy now at his job, and with his perpetual
journeyings could have forgotten it a dozen times over.
I’ll manage without him. How did you find him? Howis he looking (not in the physical sense) and what does
lie plan to do? What contacts has he made and is he
thinking of resuming his attempts at literary work? (Perhaps
Anyuta will write and give me answers to some of these
questions, as many [answers, that is] as she can, so I am
probably wasting your time asking you.) By the way, have
you written to him about my last request (I wrote to
Manyasha about it)—to inform H. Braun about permission
for a
translation?[2]

Thelecture (Lozinsky’s) is really a masterpiece of
foolishness.[6]If P.B. does not write about it in the home
news,[7]send me the issue ofTrudy Volno-ekonomicheskogo
obshchestvacontaining it—if it is easy to find. He should be
put in his place beside Mr. Yuzhakov. [If you send the
lecture buy me at the same time the verbatim report of the
discussion in the Free Economic Society, 1896, on the
currency reform. Some Narodnik, it might even have been
Lozinsky, also distinguished himself on that occasion. ]

Whathave you heard aboutSyn
Otechestva?[8]I wrote
to St. Petersburg that they should subscribe to it for me if
it is worth the
trouble.[3]It is interesting because of the
Narodniks on its staff. Do you ever see that sheet?

Allthe best,V. U.

P.S.I have a gun dog again, a setter. A friend brought
it from town. We’ll see how it turns out, whether it will
live till spring (it is still very young and I am again afraid
it will get distemper). It has one disadvantage—it is of
the female estate....

[1]SeeLetter No. 34.—Ed.

[2]Itis not known what translation is referred to.—Ed.

[3]Theletter has been lost—Ed.

[4]Thisprobably refers to the efforts made by Lenin’s sister Anna
on behalf of their brother Dmitry, who had been arrested and
whose case was being examined in St. Petersburg (See Note 62).

[5]Thelectures referred to are “The Development of Our Factory
Legislation” by M. I. Tugan-Baranovsky and “The Law of June
2, 1897 and the Rules of September 20 on the Length of the
Working Day” by P. B. Struve that had been fixed for December 6,
1897 in the Third Division (Agricultural Statistics and Political
Economy)  of the  Free Economic Society.  The announcements
containing the theses of these lectures have been lost.

Thearticle by Struve which Lenin speaks of as cut out by the
censor was a regular review in the “Current Home News”
column of the November 1897 issue ofNovoye Slovo.

[6]Thelecture referred to was “Peasant Landed Property and
Measures to Prevent Peasants Losing Their Land” delivered
by M. A. Lozinsky on December 13, 1897 in the Third Division
of the Free Economic Society.

[7]Thisrefers to Struve’s article in the   “Current  Home News”
columns ofNovoye Slovo.

[8]SynOtechestva(Son of the Fatherland)—a daily liberal news-
paper published in St. Petersburg from 1856 to 1900 and again
November 18 (December 1), 1904. From November 15 (28),
1905 the paper became an organ of the Socialist-Revolutionary
Party. The newspaper was suppressed on December 2 (15), 1905.